subject: Training is a Cost Cutting Tool [print this page] Training is a Cost Cutting Tool Training is a Cost Cutting Tool
In today'scompetitive environment, you mustprovide training to succeed in your business. If you cannot increase prices the only way to make a profit is through reduced costs, and training is the only way to cut out waste and make your people productive.
One problem has been the overhyping of training and misuse of budgets creating a sort of benefit, or using training to address wide ranging irrelevant issues.Training departments just like some academic institutions felt that you should not measure themby tangible short-term results. The terms of education and training became interchangeable and as a result, whencuts became necessary the training activities werehit. As a result, somecorporationsended up using untrained or partly trained staff in their operations, preferring to let people struggle and learn on the job.
To strike a balance between the two extremes, you have to treat training as an industrial tool. You have to use it as a sort of laser cutting through problems. The trainers themselves must be within operational units and be accountable for their results. Training should be used to address a specific objective. You start by identifying a need from customer and staff reports. If a department has a problem with either a new product or procedure, you set up programs to address it. You run your training methodically so that people know in advance, what is expected?Youuseshort sharp sessions focusing on aproblem using your ownexperienced senior people as the trainers and provide them with trainer training to enhance their skills in delivery. They simulate an alert and follow through the exercise to identify weak points and correct them. Stocks may not be where you think they are, and transport may not be reliable.
You should take a leaf out of the military's book or the fire fighting servicesthat regularly conduct trainingto improve their operational efficiency, and do not mix long-term education with operational needs.
